Thread: retorqe heads

Tweet

when i installed the heads on my 327 i first
torqed them to 35 pounds then i went around
2 more times at 70 pounds i used composite
head gaskets. i have 9:1 flat pistons. my
question is do you think i really need to pull
the valve covers after about 500 miles and
retorqe again? i really hate to take the valve
covers of because they dont leak.

thanks.

I don't recall ever having to re-torque the heads... You might be thinking of valve adjustment... I would consider checking and re-adjusting the valves after a few hundred miles... If you have a good set of valve covers and gaskets you should not have to worry about them leaking after you remove and replace them a couple of times...

Hope this helps...

Dave Brisco

thanks, i did'nt think i had to retorqe but my
book mentioned it, so i will cruz on.

I allways felt the same way as I hate to scratch my shiny new orange paint.I never retorqued the composite gaskets and never had a prob.This time I used steel shim gaskets and something told me to retorque them,well a couple of the bolts actually went as much as 1/8 turn after the engine had been run a few times.Of course I reused old head bolts that were prolly stretched but its still a good idea to check anyway.
I would check them cause if a gasket pops you'll be pullin the covers anyway.